The Simple Stories of My Life

Last week I popped into one of my favourite blogs, Write, Snap, Scrap by Izzyb and found out about a challenge over at Simple Stories.  This got me excited because I had made a 2-page year in review back in January, and I taught it as a class at The Urban Scrapbook.  

 The "elements" papers and matching sticker sheet from this Year-O-Graphy collection was just perfect to document our entire year on one layout.

Here are a couple of close-ups of the left and right page elements...

Butterflies are made with a Martha Stewart punch and card stock

This quote is cut into strips from the Yearography patterned paper

Behind each bingo card month is a pocket that holds a tag for journalling....

I made a different stencil/mask for each tag, which is cut from kraft card stock. Then sprayed with a variety of coloured mists.

I added some SS tiny alpha stickers from the awesome Yearography sticker sheet to highlight certain words in my journaling.

  Here are snapshots of each month...

We celebrated DramaQueen's 15th Birthday

 

In February, BabyOfTheFamily turned 12

I met Tim Holtz [gasp] at a special scrapbook event and attended his amazing class

Birthday BoyGenius is 17!

May is all about volleyball tournaments

My dark hair turned grey in June when BoyGenius began driving lessons

A happy weekend away in Kelowna with friends in July

Our anniversary...happily married after 22 years

Our Calgary "daughters" come back to school at the University of Alberta

Newfoundland Michelle traveled across the country to see me, and we attended the Canadian Scrapbooker Carnival together

It's legal!  Our nephew celebrates 18 years!

This candy cane sticker is perfect to showcase December's picture of BabyOfTheFamily on Christmas morning

So that's it....our life in 2011...made simple by Simple Stories!

Why I Hate the iPhone

I couldn't resist posting a title like that.  Did it bring you in?  Do you have an iPhone?  I don't, but I have a Blackberry and love it. 


So why the negative title...with the word "hate"?


I suppose I don't technically HATE the iPhone.  In the hands of a teenage girl, however, the iPhone completely consumes.... and the eyes are always cast DOWNWARDS, checking for texts, typing texts and playing games, searching for apps, using apps....the list is endless.


No, the list doesn't end there, most definitely not.  Because what my teenage daughter LOVES about her iPhone is the camera. 


Move over Ali Edwards....teenage girls all over the world have far bypassed Project 365 and turned it into Project 3650!!


I suddenly realized this during our Spring Break holiday when I discovered that DramaQueen takes photos of everything and anything all day long.  While eating, while shopping, while "chilling".....and most often of herself.  Oh yeah, lots and lots and LOTS of photos of herself. 


And yes, this is the same daughter that always gives me THE HAND when I pull out MY camera. [check my blog post HERE to see some classic Hand pics]


So I had a really good idea, and I said to her, "Hey, do you realize that you are chronicling your entire life practically moment by moment with your iPhone photos?"  and then I expressed how much I would enjoy having some of those photos to scrapbook. 


Guess what DQ gave to me a few days later??  A memory stick, filled with her iPhone photos.  I could NOT believe it.  How lucky am I???


It turns out....not so lucky.  And some nasty feelings about the iPhone arose as I downloaded her photos onto my computer and checked them out. 


Here is the first photo....

And the next....

And the third....well, at least she got her baby sister in the shot too.

Yes, there are more!  Because there are so many apps and filters that she uses.  In fact, sometimes I feel like an alien (called the iPhone) has abducted her.  Now I have proof!

She's so thoughtful...she even included some photos of the two of us....

And I thought I didn't have many wrinkles.

At least I now know what she does during school hours....in the Girls Washroom....

Nice toilets and sink....things haven't changed much since I've been to school. Black toilet seats!

I'm thinking of enrolling her in a Photography COMPOSITION and BACKGROUND class.

How nice!  A photo of some of the volleyball team! In the Girls Washroom.

I admit, it's not all bad.  After scrolling through about 100 shots, there were about 4 iPhone photos that I am pretty pleased to have...

My birthday flowers and me.

Sisters in the van.

An affectionate moment between DQ and BOF.....shocking!

My big brother and my mother at Christmas.

Hmmm...looking at these last few photos makes me feel like there's hope that my iPhone obsessed daughter could become the family genealogist after all.

And so I was inspired to create a layout to capture this phase of crazy pics in DQ's life...

The pearls are from KaiserCraft

I used mostly Heidi Swapp new Sugar Chic papers in the monthly sketch kit at The Urban Scrapbook.  This is such a fun, colourful collection... perfect for teens!

After I finished this layout, I thought, hey, maybe the iPhone isn't so bad after all :) 

May Sketchy Challenge

National Scrapbook Day has come and gone...and I am still in creative heaven after spending 3 days on a scrapbooking retreat with the amazing team from Canadian Scrapbooker magazine.  Good times, belly laughs and special friendships....all make for the perfect scrap happy event!

Today I thought I'd share my layout for the monthly Sketchy Challenge over at www.canadianscrapbooker.ca  

Here is the sketch by Jill Sarginson....

 And here is my layout....

BabyOfTheFamily is a child of nature and is happiest outdoors, enjoying God's creatures, great and small.

Did I interpret this sketch exactly or what?? ha ha!


I couldn't help it really.  The KaiserCraft papers were perfect for my design concept ....and I had a wonderful sheet of raw chipboard from Magenta (the tree, grass, clouds and sun).

The layered chipboard animals (including Bambi here) and stickers are all from the KaiserCraft "Tiny Woods" collection.  So Cute!

I decided to alter the Magenta chipboard pieces with Clearsnap's new Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx and embossing powders....LOVE them!

After inking and embossing the clouds with "Jasmine", I edged them in blue "Denim" ink. 

The tree is actually stamped with a Magenta leaf stamp, but the leafy images are masked by the UTEE.  The trunk is inked and embossed with Donna Salazar "Leather."

These are pigment inks and are wonderful to work with.  In fact, I'm determined to do more stamping, embossing and inking techniques on my layouts.  I am so lucky to be able to learn from the amazing Cathie Allen, who is a creative genius when it comes too ALL things crafty.  The way she uses stamps and inks is.....WOW.

You know what I love most about the Donna Salazar Mixed Media Inx?  Their names! ha ha!
"Mossy....Leather....Denim....Jasmine....Chiffon...."

A whole bunch of YUMMY.

Here's a deep dark yearning of mine: I want a job naming inks!  Yes I do.  In fact, at the retreat last weekend, I announced this "wish" of mine and did some brainstorming of ink names. 

Mind you, this collection of inks is for crafters who are age 40+  ....

Varicose Vein Purple

Alimony Green

Age Spots Brown

Hot Flash Red

Grey Hair

What do you think?  My own line of Distress Inks to create that "Aged Look."  

Will Clearsnap hire me? 

Mother's Day Cards

When my turn came around again to do a blog post for Canadian Scrapbooker magazine this week, I was excited that the date was in May....because I wanted to share another flower technique and Mother's Day is coming up.

I was also excited about a new Spellbinders Donna Salazar die I bought called "Bitty Blossoms."

Spellbinders Donna Salazar "Bitty Blossoms"

I have been enjoying making my own simple spiral roses lately, and when I saw this die, I  wanted to give it a try.

Check.  It.  Out.  I am ALL OVER this Spellbinders die! 

I LOVED the results....I was making flowers day and night! (slight exaggeration)

I made a card featuring the simple spiral roses and another card using this Spellbinders die.....both with Karen Foster's Mother's Day patterned paper. 

Hmmmm....I just might have to give one of these to MYSELF on Mother's Day.

Here's a closer look at the roses on the card...

They are so pretty clustered together with a ribbon.

 If you'd like to see how I made both of these types of spiral flowers, I created a detailed step-by-step photo tutorial over at the Canadian Scrapbooker's website posted on Jackie's blog called "Tuesday With The Team."  Click HERE to see the tutorial.


Next week, I'll be posting a special framed Mother's Day layout on my blog that also features these Spellbinders flowers...and lots of other cool techniques!

My Mind's Eye is...AMAZING!

When I first saw the My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart collection, I was smitten!  I immediately knew I wanted to design a class layout with the "Be Amazing" papers...just love those hexagon patterns!


Here is what I came up with...

 

I created some cool embellishments using Ranger Inkssentials Foil Tape Sheets and alcohol ink. 

Here are some close ups...

These buttons are part of this collection...I made the black butterflies using a Martha Stewart punch.

Love the dimensional stickers from this collection too!  And the ribbon is Maya Road.

 Making these foil embellishments was really fun.  I cut the sun freehand, but the butterflies and hearts are cut with Sizzix dies and my Big Shot.  

To make any of these elements, you'll need Ranger Foil Tape Sheets, alcohol inks, a piece of paper, dies, an embossing folder (I used a damask pattern by Tim Holtz), and a die cutting machine (Big Shot).

I coloured my sun and hearts with Caramel (or Butterscotch) alcohol ink and the butterflies with Stream.

Cut a piece of foil that will fit the size of your die, peel off the adhesive backing (CAREFUL:  very sticky!), and adhere to a piece of paper (you can use any piece of scrap paper).

I didn't use just any piece of scrap paper...I used a lovely extra piece of MME left over from my layout :)

 Trim the foil/paper piece so it can be cut by your die...

These butterflies are movable dies so they are sitting on a base tray (they are magnetic).

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Roll through your Big Shot and cut out the butterflies.

Place foil butterflies in damask patterned embossing folder and run through the Big Shot again.

And your butterfly will now look like this....I just LOVE how this foil tape embosses!

Gently squeeze Stream alcohol ink (or any colour you like) onto the butterfly.

Spread the alcohol ink using the tip of the bottle.  The more ink, the darker the colour.

 Because the foil is flexible, you can now play with your embellishments and bend them however you like....

I adhered only the centre of this butterfly with a pop dot and then lifted its wings off the page.

 The possibilities are endless with this "Amazing" line of papers by My Mind's Eye!